Freight car doorway reinforcement



March 12, 1957 G. MADLAND l FREIGHT CAR DOORWAY REINFORCEMENT F'iledAu'g. 10, 1951 y fil/Ja vll/l;

United States Patent O FREIGHT CAR DOORWAY REINFRCEMENT Gabriel Madland,Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 10, 1951, Serial No.241,234

6 Claims. (Cl. 10S-409) This invention relates to freight carconstruction and particularly to the construction involving the lowercorners of the door openings of box and automobile cars.

It is an object of this invention to provide constructions for railwayfreight cars which shall obviate tearing of the upstanding flange of theside sills in the door openings of the cars.

A further object is to -provide constructions for railway freight carswhich shall counteract the effect of the change in the nature of thestress occurring in the side sills of the cars and resulting from thereduction in section of the side sills in the door openings of the cars.

A further object is to provide constructions for railway freight carswhich shall afford reinforcements for the side sills of the carsparticularly adjacent to the lower corners of the door openings of thecars.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the descriptionthereof proceeds.

ln the drawings forming part of this specillcation:

Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation of the construction of railway freightcars adjacent to a lower corner of a door opening in the cars andembodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. l showing another embodiment of theinvention.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. l showing a further embodiment of theinvention.

Fig. S is a vertical section taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to the embodiment of theinvention illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3 thereof, the reference numeral1l) designates a customary side sill used in box and automobile freightcars. The side sill 10 is formed of an angle having an inwardlyextending horizontally disposed leg 11 and an outer upwardly extendingvertically disposed leg 12. The side sill 10 is customarily reinforcedby means of an angular member 13 which includes a horizontally disposedflange 14 secured in any desired manner as by means of rivets to theunderside of the horizontal leg 11 of the side sill.

Door posts, one of which is designated by the reference numeral 15, aresecured as by means of rivets to the upstanding leg 12 of the side silland serve to define the width of a door opening customarily provided inthe side walls of railway freight cars of the type indicated. As isshown more clearly in Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the door post15' is substantially channel-shaped in sectionand embodies atransversely extending web 16 contiguous tothe door opening andtransversely spaced longitudinallyextending outer and inner llanges 17and 18 which are directed away from the door opening. The

'ice

door post 15 is extended downwardly so as to overlap the upstandingvertical flange 12 of the side sill, the outer flange 17 of the postbeing secured to this flange of the side sill as by means of rivets. Itwill be observed from Figs. l and 2 of the drawings that the securementof the door post to the Vertical flange of the side sill occurs wherethis flange is of full height, such height being maintained from eachside of the door opening to the end of the car as is well known.

In the door opening, however, the vertical flange 12 of the side sill iscut down in height as indicated at 19 so that it lies substantially inthe upper plane of the car floor 20. Because of this reduction in heightof the vertical flange of the side sill, the side sill is substantiallyweakened in the area of the lower corners of the door opening so thattearing of the vertical flange frequently occurs.

In accordance with the instant invention the indicated failure of theside sill is corrected. To this end a reinforcing member 21 is securedto the vertical flange 12 of the side sill below the door opening as bymeans of rivets 22. The reinforcing member 21 extends under the web 16of the door post which is coped as indicated at 23 for this purpose.vThe longitudinally extending llange 18 of the door post is similarlycoped as indicated at 24. Beyond the door opening the reinforcing member21 embodies a gusset portion 25 which as is shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 ofthe drawings is secured as by means of rivets 26 and 27 to the verticalflange 12 of the side sill and the outer longitudinally extending flange17 of the door post.

As is also shown in these figures of the drawings the reinforcing member21 is provided with a frange 28 which extends continuously along an edgeof the member. Below the door opening the flange 2S is horizontal asindicated at 29. This portion is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawingsextending inwardly and lying substantially in the plane of the upperedge of the vertical flange of the side sill below the door opening.Beyond the door opening the llange 28 is turned upwardly so as toprovide a vertical portion 30 which is secured to the web 16 of the doorpost 15 as by means of rivets 31 and serves to reinforce the door post.

It will begapparent from the foregoing description of the consideredembodiment of the invention that a sturdy reinforcement is provided forthe side sill and the door post adjacent to the lower corner of a dooropening in a railway freight car. Moreover, the construction and therelationship of this reinforcement to the side sill and the door post issuch as to present a continuously extending llange in such a positionthat forces tending to tear the weakened section of the side sill willbe resisted by this llange.

ln Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the instant invention is shown in its application toa door post which is substantially Z- shaped in section. The door post32 embodies a longitudinally extending web 33, an outwardly extendingflange 34 contiguous tothe door opening and an inwardly extending flange35 spaced from the door opening. A member 36 is used to reinforce theside sill adjacent to the lower corner of the door opening. This memberembodies a portion 37 which extends :along and is secured to thevertical llange of the side sill below the door opening as by means ofrivets 38 and a portion 39 which `extends upwardly along the web 33 ofthe door post and which is secured to the vertical flange of the sidesill beyond the door opening and to the web of the door post as by meansof rivets 40.

As in the previously described embodiment of the invention thereinforcing member 36 is provided with a continuously extending flange,the portion 41 lying below the door opening being horizontal andsubstantially in the plane of the upper edge of the vertical flange ofthe side sill below the door opening and the portion 42 being vertical.As shown the continuously extending tiange of reinforcing member 36extends inwardly from the side sill and the door post.

in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 ofthe drawings, a reinforcing member 43 for the side sill is utilized.This member is secured to and along the vertical flange of the side sillbelow the door opening as by means of rivets 44. rfhe reinforcing member43 is extended under the web 16 of the door post l and is offsetupwardly as indicated at 45. The reinforcing member 43 extends along andis secured to the vertical flange of the side siil. beyond the dooropening and to the longitudinally extending flange 17 of the door postas by means of rivets 46. As in the previously described embodiments ofthe invention the reinforcing member 43 is provided with an inwardlyextending flange 47 which extends continuously along the upper edge ofthe member.

lt will be apparent from the foregoing description of the severalembodiments of the invention that the side sill is reinforced at thecritical point where fracture and failure occur. It will also be clearthat while the illustrated embodiments of the invention have been shownin connection with only one of the lower corners of a door opening, itis applicable as well to all of the lower corners of the door openingsprovided in box and automobile cars. in the last described embodiment ofthe invention a separate gusset 43 is also used.

it will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in thedetails of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. Itis intended, therefore, that all such modications and changes becomprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by thescope of the claims appended hereto.

l claim:

l. in a freight car having a side wall provided With a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates substantially in the upperplane of the floor of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post overlapping said vertical leg beyond the dooropening, means securing said door post directly to said vertical leg, areinforcing member for said side sill, and means securing said member tosaid door post and said vertical leg beyond the door opening, saidmember extending along and being secured to said vertical leg below saiddoor opening, said member having a flange extending continuously alongan edge thereof, a portion of said flange being horizontal andsubstantially in the plane of the upper edge of said vertical leg belowthe door opening.

2. In a freight car having a side wall provided with a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates substantially in the upperplane of the floor of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post overlapping said vertical leg beyond the dooropening, means securing said door post directly to said vertical leg, areinforcing member for said side sill, and means securing said member tosaid door post and .said vertical leg beyond the door opening, saidmember extending along and being secured to said vertical leg below saiddoor opening, said member having a flange extending inwardly andcontinuously along an edge thereof, a portion of said flange beinghorizontal and substantially in the plane of the upper edge of saidvertical leg below the door opening.

3. In a freight car 4having a side wall provided with a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates substantially in the upperplane of the floor of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post having a transversely extending web contiguousto the door opening and inner and outer flanges extending from said webaway from the door opening, said outer flange extending downwardlysubstantially to said horizontal leg of said side sill in overlappingrelationship with said Vertical leg beyond said door opening and beingsecured directly to said vertical leg adjacent to said horizontal leg,said web of said post terminating above the upper edge of said verticalleg which lies below the door opening, a reinforcing member for saidside sill, said member extending along and being secured to saidvertical leg below the door opening, said member having a flangeextending continuously along an edge thereof, the portion of said flangeof said member lying below the door opening being horizontal andsubstantially in the plane of the upper edge of said vertical leg belowthe door opening, said member extending under said web and beyond thedoor opening, and means securing said member to said door post and saidvertical leg beyond the door opening.

4. In a freight car having a side wall provided with a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said Vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates substantially in the upperplane of the door of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post having a transversely extending web contiguousto the door opening and inner and outer llanges extending from said webaway from the door opening, said outer ange extending downwardlysubstantially to said horizontal leg of said side sill in overlappingrelationship with said vertical leg beyond said door opening and beingsecured directly to said vertical leg adjacent to said horizontal leg,said web of said post terminating above the upper edge of said verticalleg which lies below the door opening, a reinforcing member for saidside sill, said member extending along and being secured to saidvertical leg below the door opening, said member having a flangeextending continuously along an edge thereof, the portion of said llangeof said member lying below the door opening being horizontal andsubstantially in the plane of the upper edge of said vertical leg belowthe door opening, said member extending under said web and beyond thedoor opening, said member extending along said vertical leg beyond thedoor opening and upwardly along said door post, said flange of saidmember extending upwardly beyond the door opening along said web of saiddoor post, means securing said member to said door post and saidvertical leg beyond the door opening, and means securing said flange ofsaid member to said web.

5. ln a freight carv having a side wall provided with a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said Vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates substantially in the upperplane of the oor of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post having a transversely extending web contiguousto the door opening and inner and outer anges extending from said webaway from the door opening, said outer ange extending downwardlysubstantially to said horizontal leg of said side sill in overlappingrelationship with said vertical leg beyond said door opening and beingsecured directly to said vertical leg adjacent to said horizontal leg,said web of said post terminating above the upper edge of said verticalleg which lies below the door opening, a reinforcing member for saidside sill, said member extending along and being secured to saidvertical leg below the door opening, said member extending under saidweb and along said vertical leg beyond said door opening, said memberhaving a horizontal flange extending continuously along the upper edgethereof, a portion of said flange being horizontal and substantially inthe plane of the upper edge of the vertical leg below the door opening,and means securing said member to said door post and vertical leg beyondthe door opening.

6. In a freight car having aside wall provided with a door opening andan angle side sill extending substantially from end to end of the car,said side sill having a horizontal leg and an upstanding vertical leg,said vertical leg being of full height beyond the door opening, theportion of said vertical leg in the door opening being removed so thatthe remaining portion thereof terminates CTI substantially in the upperplane of the oor of the car, the combination with said side sill of adoor post, said door post having a longitudinally extending weboverlapping and secured directly to said vertical leg beyond the dooropening, an outwardly extending flange contiguous to the door openingand an inwardly extending flange beyond the door opening, a reinforcingmember for said side sill, said member extending along and being securedto said vertical leg below the door opening, said member having a angeextending continuously along an edge thereof, the portion of said flangeof said memi References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,125,047 Ditchfield July 26, 1938 2,226,681 Willoughby Dec. 31,1940 2,385,062 Ditcheld Sept. 18, 1945 2,429,182 Doke Oct. 14, 19472,468,185 Doyle Apr. 26, 1949 2,602,405 Johansson July 8, 1952

